Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort, by Richard Edward Dennett, [1898], at sacred-texts.com

THE SONG OF LIFE.

I now have the pleasure of enclosing two photographs, representing, the one a string of symbols or headings of a native song, and the other the boy singing the song from the string.

The song itself and the string came from the Mayumba district, i.e., that country to the north and east of Loango.

The string is composed of pieces of stick, shells, calabashes, and skins and feathers strung together.

1st line. A piece of rounded stick about an inch long. 2nd The shell of a peanut. 3rd A piece of rounded stick with two notches in it. 4th Two pieces of rounded stick (two wives of the dead represented by a small bundle of cloth). 5th A piece of rounded stick (ximanga liambu). 6th Two pieces of rounded stick (ngoma and mavungu). 7th line A piece of calabash (ntumbu). 8th Two pieces of rounded stick (two women). One little piece of mandioca. One piece of husk of palm-kernel. 9th One piece of rounded stick (one woman, Buketi). 10th with string round it (nganga nsassi). 11th (Buyali). One piece of hollow wood for canoe. 12th One rounded piece of calabash (sun). One half-moon-shaped piece of calabash (moon). 13th One short piece of round stick (two notches). One small round stick (hammer). One small bundle of cloth (Bisakala). 14th One piece of wood in shape of cross supposed to represent man with drum between his legs. A very small piece of wood as drumstick. 15th One round piece of wood (xivunda). One smaller piece (son). A bit of the leaf of Indian corn. 16th A flat piece of wood representing bark of a tree. 17th Round piece of stick with string round top (Nganga bi yango). 18th Round piece of stick, one notch (son). Small piece of stick, drumstick (ngoma). 19th Flat piece of stick like spoon (cease eating). 20th Two little bits of stem of tobacco (pipe and tobacco). 21st Small flat stick (xibala. nganzi). 22nd Rather long round stick with forked stick tied round the top representing Father Makuika, a prisoner. 23rd Small piece of pipe. 24th Round piece of stick tied round the middle. 25th Small piece of grass. 26th Shell. 27th Imitation of a comb. Piece of wood like hand-mirror. 28th Round stick tied to string 3/4 way up. 29th Skin of Mpakasa. 30th Tail of Ngumba. Piece of skin. 31st Piece of skin of big antelope (sungu). 32nd Tail-feather of parrot (nkusu). Tail-feather of pheasant (mbulu nkoko).

So much, then, for the symbols; now for the song. One boy holds one end of the string while the singer holds the other; then, as the latter sings, his fingers touch the symbols. He sings a sentence, the other boy and the onlookers repeat it.

[1. The malandu is a fruit given to a man to give him the power of remembering, and the will to speak all that is hidden in his heart.]

30. Nzau e xilanga, ngumba imimbiekesi. (The elephant has a tail [the hairs of which are a valuable ornament], the porcupine has spines.) 31. Sungu kulila mu binauga. (Sungu [the name of a very large kind of antelope] eats on the top of hills.) 32. Nkusu mu nkunda, nbulu nkoko kuta nilolo. (The parrot perches on a branch, the pheasant sings his song [ko, ko, ko, ku, ku.])